Once Upon a Time: Little Red Riding Hood
by undulating echo
Summary: (Part 1 in a Fairytale AU) Princess Alice, nicknamed "Little Red Riding Hood", finds herself wandering into the dark forests in search of wolf meat, an unparalleled delicacy. What she didn't expect to find was him. And she most certainly did not expect to fall in love. But when things take a dark turn, will she choose her kingdom and everyone in it...or him? / RyoAli
1. Unus

**1**

**…**

Once upon a time, there lived a lovely, white-skinned beauty by the name of Alice Nakiri. Her eyes were like two glistening rubies. Her hair bore the softness and colour of freshly fallen snow. She was as kind as she was beautiful, and people all around the kingdom adored her. Where Alice went, graciousness followed.

Well, actually. It wasn't exactly like that.

Correction:

Once upon a time, there lived a beauty by the name of Alice Nakiri. True, she was dazzling in both intellect and beauty, and she was very well-intentioned, but Alice Nakiri was not perfect. She was a bit too spoilt, a bit too demanding, and just a bit too unpredictable. Of course, Alice bore noble blood, so people all around the kingdom were almost obliged to sing praises about her. However, in terms of popularity and grandeur, Alice was like the appetiser. And her cousin, Erina Nakiri, was the seven-course meal.

Jealousy was not something Alice familiarised with. She was quite happy with how things were now.

Erina, a meticulously beautiful goddess who boasted a genius intellect and the air of a true queen, was the victim of Alice's merciless teasing, mostly surrounding Erina's reheaded fiancé. Despite her constant taunting and nagging, Alice truly loved Erina. Well, perhaps "love" wasn't the most suitable term. She certainly admired the woman - hardly anyone didn't - yet, the albino always felt like the blonde wasn't quite proud of her. Alice presented Erina with all her findings and theories with a proud smile, but Erina only acknowledged it in the tiniest of ways, causing Alice to question just what their relationship was. Erina's half-satisfied nods and turning of the cold shoulder only seemed to suggest that she considered Alice a troublesome burden.

So, when Erina gifted Alice with a shimmering scarlet cloak, the bright hue matching Alice's rose-coloured irises, Alice couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. It made up for all the haughty sniffs and half-hearted pats on the shoulder that Alice had been showered with. She had grown to be exceptionally fond of the cloak, and wore it everywhere she went. At dinner parties with other noble officials, she donned a pure white ballgown and draped the cloak over her shoulders. On meetings with other leaders of molecular gastronomy, she secured the cloak over a well-shaped black dress. When out travelling in the winter, in search of some rare ingredient to present to Queen Rindou and King Eishi of the neighbouring kingdom, the red cloak provided warm, comforting stability.

This earned her the name, "Little Red Riding Hood."

In truth, Alice treasured the cloak because it seemed like the only thing tethering Erina and herself together. Erina had grown busier than ever, with her duties to become queen, as well as her duties of choosing a rightful king to rule alongside, and hardly had time to talk with Alice - not that they talked much in the first place. They had always been seperated by a gorge that neither girl was really too willing to cross. The chasm seperating them had been formed by Azami Nakiri. He'd locked Erina up in a little room and drilled his teachings into her. He'd destroyed all the letters that Alice had written to Erina.

Despite Azami's redemption, Alice had never truly forgiven him. The cousins' relationship was too precious a thing for someone to so easily destroy.

Alice put on a cheerful demeanour every day, ignoring the discomfort that had situated itself in her chest. Dutifully doing her work was the only way she could subtly assist Erina.

* * *

Alice was seated in the royal library, lying on a pile of intricately embroidered cushions and writing down her new theory on molecular gastronomy. The library was like a treasure cove - scattered with mountains of tassled silk cushions, shelves upon shelves of leather-bound books, historical displays, globes, maps, and draping tapestries that acted as privacy curtains. The walls were all a dark clover hue, and the floor was draped with rugs in every shape and colour. The library was so messily organised, as if everything had been haphazardly thrown together, that it was comforting. It was really the only room in the palace that wasn't meticulously laid out in ivories and whites and golds and reds.

The cloak was draped over Alice's legs, like a makeshift rug. Lady Jun Shiomi, a theoretical chemist, was sitting next to her, writing her own theory on spices.

"Have you decided on what to give Queen Rindou for her birthday?" Alice asked lazily, sketching out a diagram.

Lady Shiomi shifted the slightest bit, and her royal purple gown made a loud scratching noise of fabric against fabric. "I'm sure she'd be pleased if I made a spice mix to compliment the salamanders that she likes."

"I'm wondering if I should present her with some exotic meat."

"King Eishi has owns many forests and fields. I'm sure that Queen Rindou has enough selections to choose from," Lady Shiomi pointed out.

Alice hummed in agreement. "Well, what doesn't she have?"

"Giraffes. Elephants. Antelopes."

"Anything that's within our kingdom?"

Shiomi furrowed her brows. "Perhaps birds of some nature…or bats."

"Gross." Alice made a face. "I'm not catching one of those."

The two returned to their theories, dipping their eagle feathers in ink that glistened on the parchment.

Suddenly, Shiomi straightened up, banging her tiny fist into her tiny palm. Her strangely loud dress rustled clamorously against the cushions. "Wolf meat."

Alice's eyes glimmered. "O-ho."

Wolf meat was considered an "untouched delicacy", which Alice interpreted as "it-sounds-like-it-tastes-good-but-no-one-has-ever-eaten-it." Which, all things considered, was true. Wolves were ferocious beasts, and in Totsuki, humongous black wolves, strong enough to take down ten horses and their riders, roamed the forests. Mostly why entering the forests were forbidden.

With a satisfied smirk, Alice said, "so it's decided. This princess is going to go hunt herself a wolf."

"That is a terrible idea, my lady," stammered Shiomi, who seemed to be already regretting opening her mouth. "The last time Queen Rindou and King Eishi tried to hunt one, King Eishi almost lost his arms and legs."

"Which is exactly why they'd be mighty impressed when I turn up with a char-grilled wolf." Alice turned to Shiomi, wiggling her eyebrows. "Do you deny it?"

Shiomi was silent for the longest time, before sighing. "I do not deny it, my lady." Seeing that Alice could not be reasoned with, she patted her on the hand and stood up, dress rustling in an extremely loud, attention-grabbing fashion. "I should return. Hayama will be waiting for me." She addressed the attendant standing there, bowing. "S-See to it that Princess Alice comes back in one piece. Please?"

Shiomi rustled off, muttering curses about the volume of the dress, as Alice leapt up, bounding between shelves and gathering all the books on hunting she could find.

King Eishi and Queen Rindou were not the only ones she intended to impress - Alice was sure that her cousin would also be awed.

* * *

Alice and Soma were strolling around the palace grounds, discussing their paperwork (and how to avoid finishing it). Winter had scooped up the country in its ghostly, frosty hands. Tiny snowflakes were drifting from the sky, like miniscule parachutes. The lakes were beginning to freeze over. Silence replaced the sound of warbling birds.

"My fiancée," Some began suddenly with great certainty, "has a silver spoon up her ass."

Though amused, Alice raised an eyebrow. "Where did that thought come from? Perchance you were thinking about it?"

"What? A silver spoon?"

"Her ass, I meant."

Soma glanced at her for a second, before fixing his attention on the gardens again. "Sometimes so much shit comes out her mouth that I can't tell the difference between her face and her ass." He paused. "Maybe that's how the silver spoon got there. Some poor maid made the same mistake as I did."

Alice snorted.

"For someone who's in love with her, it sure doesn't sound like you two skip hand-in-hand over meadows, watching the sunset," she commented dryly.

"Miss Queen just doesn't seem to have time for me. And she definitely doesn't think I'm good enough."

This surprised Alice - Soma carried everything out with a sense of (sometimes obnoxious) self-certainty. (It was this self-certainty that almost got him killed on various occasions, much to Erina's chagrin.) To hear him regard himself so unsurely made it feel like she was talking to a different person.

The sound of several pairs of hurried footsteps interrupted their conversation. The queen in question stormed up to Alice and Soma, with her many attendants and advisors in tow.

"Where have you been?" Erina scowled, shooting her hand up to grab Soma's ear. He caught her wrist before she could pinch his earlobe and drag him off. "Unhand me!"

Soma's half-bored, half-exasperated expression remained. "We were just talking about you, you know."

Erina narrowed her eyes, before waving a hand at her entourage to dismiss them.

Alice felt like an unwelcome spectator. For some unbeknownst reason, the first thing that popped up in her mind was to change the subject.

"Erina-chi!"

Erina yanked her hand out of Soma's grasp and turned to Alice. Her voice was thick. "What?"

"I won't be present for the annual meeting next week."

This earned Alice a look she wasn't expecting - pure disgust.

"Why?" The single syllable was laced with so much malice that she took a step back.

"I'm going hunting. For…wolf meat."

Erina and Soma looked stunned. They were silent for the longest time.

Erina spoke first. "Ridiculous," she muttered. "Completely ridiculous." Her voice grew louder. "Alice, what is wrong with you?"

"I—"

"Do you understand what it's like to have to be queen? It's like climbing a mountain with the entire kingdom on your shoulders! It's the most tiring, painful job there is in the world! And what makes it worse is the useless, worthless people who cling to you and do the most stupid, reckless things because they think it's fun!"

"Eri, stop," Soma pleaded.

Soma never pleaded.

"You!" Erina pointed an accusing finger in Alice's face. "You do nothing! Absolutely nothing! You're a burden to me! You're absolutely useless, absolutely meaningless! Your existence doesn't contribute anything at all!"

Alice felt like she was getting stabbed over and over again.

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE?"

Her words echoed in Alice's head. Useless. Meaningless. Burden. Worthless. Stupid. Reckless. Nothing. Die. Like a mantra being chanted over and over. Her brain felt like she was imploding.

"Alice, she doesn't mean it. Eri isn't herself today."

Alice turned around and ran.

"Alice!"

She didn't want anyone to see the tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Alice kept running. And running. It felt strangely freeing, to run like this. Almost as if nothing could catch up with her. She ran out of the castle, her boots thudding on the cobblestone.

"My lady!"

Alice ignored Shiomi calls and sprinted down the alleyways.

"My lady!" For someone so small, Shiomi was fast. She skidded to a halt in front of Alice. "Where are you going?"

Alice slowed down and caught her breath, ignoring Shiomi's question. She ducked into the silversmith's.

"Mimasaka. Could I have my bow and arrows now?"

A hefty man peered out from behind the smelting furnace. "Of course, your highness." He daintily laid a silver bow and a quiver of arrows on the counter. Each piece of carefully fashioned silver was decorated with intricate floral design.

"And my sword, please." Alice picked up an arrow and lightly tapped the arrowhead with her finger. The tap alone was enough to draw blood. These arrows were extraordinarily sharp.

Shiomi watched with a look of disturbance on her face. "My lady…are you going to hunt for wolves?"

Mimasaka froze. "Your highness! You might die!"

"Then so be it." Alice's face was stony, as if she was a statue carved from white marble. "I have no use being alive, anyway."

Jun's face fell. "My lady, please don't! Or at least, let me send guards with you. What will her majesty Erina think? My lady, there are people who care about you! Yukihira and Yoshino and myself, and—"

"Don't waste your breath, Shiomichi." Alice provided Jun with one of her reassuring, devil-may-care smiles. "You can no longer say anything else that matters."

Shiomi looked as if she was ready to cry. Alice patted her on the shoulder and offered another smile. "I'm sorry."

"My lady!"

Alice grabbed her weapons, sliding her sword into her belt, and ran once more.

The snow was starting to grow heavy. Alice's heart was starting to grow lighter.

* * *

The forest was a looming, black battalion of prickly fur trees. This didn't faze Alice. A dozen warning signs surrounded all the possible entrances. Rusted armour stained with blood lay at the foot of one signpost, a warning sign of its own.

Even standing a couple of metres away, Alice could feel the dark energy undulating from the thicket of trees that seemed to stretch past the horizon.

Alice's slim build was an advantage point. She squeezed in between two signposts. As she crawled forward, something tugged her back. She glanced behind her - her red hood had gotten stuck on one of the nails on the sign.

Alice paused - she suddenly felt greatly conflicted.

Finally, she took off her cloak and left it lying limp in the snow.

Immediately, she left lighter. She'd never realised how heavy the cloack was.

When she exhaled, puffy clouds of air erupted from her mouth. She stood up and let her eyes wander. Every direction seemed to be…just trees. Silhouettes were enveloped in shadow. It was silent, far away from the clamour of the kingdom. When she looked up, the sky were obscured by the spindly arms of pines and oaks.

Alice began moving forward, hoping she would find a wolf by sunset.

* * *

Alice had stepped into a small clearing, carpeted with snow. She'd been wandering around, with no wolf in sight.

A twig cracked.

She spun around, just in time to see a shadow shifting between bushes and trees.

Another sound.

There were two wolves - no, three. Four. Five. Her eyes darted around, catching glimpses of a tail here and a pair of glowing red eyes there. It was almost impossible to count the number of wolves, as they seamlessly melded back into the shadows.

And they were all circling Alice.

Suddenly, it seemed like the shadows had melted away. The wolves could now been seen clearly - monstrous, black creatures with stiff fur and snarls full of sharp canine teeth. Their eyes were red, the colour of blood.

And they were enormous.

The largest wolf came to about shoulder-height. The smallest was chest-height. They continued circling her like a flock of vultures waiting for their prey to collapse.

Alice fumbled for her arrows.

A wolf beat her to it.

She let out a short, guttural scream as one of the creatures latched its teeth onto her arm, wildly shaking it like it was trying to tear it off. Another tore the quiver of arrows off her back and discarded it in the snow. Her arm was starting to bleed. Pain coursed through her body as a third bit down on her leg.

A few tears escaped her eyes. She internally apologised to Shiomi. So this was it. Alice Nakiri was going to be wiped from the face of the earth.

"Stop."

Her cracked open one eye. And then another.

A tall man was standing in front of her. Red eyes, black hair. Alice could have sworn that he looked like the largest wolf, the one who hadn't moved in to attack her.

"Down. All of you."

The wolves suddenly let go of her and scattered. Alice fell onto her knees. The snow was stained red.

"What are you doing here? Princesses like you don't belong in this place." He bent down and stared at her eye to eye.

Alice let out a strained, breathy laugh. "Hah. Like I belong…" she winced at the pain in her arm. "…Like I belong anywhere."

A flicker of recongition crossed the man's face. "We'll fix you up. But then you have to leave."

He slid his arms around Alice and lifted her like she was made out of feathers. "What are you—"

"Shut up. It's not like I'm doing this out the kindness of my widdle heart." He rolled his eyes.

Alice was still. She heard the snow crunching under his feet. "What's your name?"

"Kurokiba is fine."

_He's warm,_ was the first thing that passed Alice's mind. Her eyes fluttered shut. _So warm._

* * *

_"Alice! Come with me!" Six-year-old Erina's laughter wavered in the snowflake-doused air. Her snowboots left small footprints in the snow. She beckoned cajolingly. "Come on, come on!"_

_Alice ran after her. "Hey, slow down!" she laughed. Warmth bubbled up inside of her. "Where are we going?"_

_"We're going to visit Rindou-chan! Hurry, hurry!"_

_Erina weaved between quaint cottages and shops adorned with Christmas lights - bright, glowing squares amongst the darkness of nightfall. Erina darted between trees and potted plants. She was fast - she'd always been fast._

_"Wait, Eri-chi, slow down!" Alice called, losing sight of the mane of blonde hair. She paused her running and took some time to collect herself. Every heavy exhale produced a blast of visible warm air. "You're too fast. I can't run that fast." She lifted her eyes, half-amused and half-tired._

_Erina was nowhere to be seen._

_A growing panic seated itself in Alice's chest. "Eri-chi! Eri-chi!" The darkness seemed to swallow her whole. She felt shadows caving in on her. Where was Eri-chi? "Erina! Where are you?" She stood up and took a darting step forward, before stopping herself. No - Erina would come back for her._

_So Alice waited._

_And waited._

_And waited and waited and—_

_"Alice-chan!"_

_Alice's blinked furiously to clear her vision. A pair of warm hands cupped hers. "Alice, you're freezing!"_

_Erina's concerned, panicked eyes met Alice's. "I'm sorry!" she wailed, flinging her arms around the startled albino. "I thought you were running behind me. I looked everywhere for you!"_

_Alice opened to mouth to speak, but she felt numb. So numb that the pinpricks of cold didn't reach her. How long had she been waiting in the snow?_

_"You came back for me," she said at last._

_"Of course I did, silly billy!" Erina beckoned behind her, and a familiar red-haired girl stepped forward and draped a blanket around Alice's quivering shoulders. "I got Rindou-chan too. Let's go, slowly this time." She gently helped her cousin to her feet._

_"Ali-chi! We're making crocodile soup! It'll warm ya right up!" Rindou smiled, flanking Alice's other side. "Eishi-kun is also coming! And Momo-nyan!"_

_As Rindou babbled on about all sorts of absurd recipes, the familiar, comfortable feeling replaced the distress in Alice's chest._

_It was warm, was what Alice was thinking. So warm._

* * *

Alice regained consciousness and was met with reassuring warmth, a soft bed, the crackling of fire, and mellow light tinting everything a slight gold. It was a tiny cottage, small but well-lit and well-maintained.

The second thing she registered was the strange sensation she was feeling on her arm. she glanced to her right to see Kurokiba licking up the last droplets of blood from the bite wound.

"What are you—"

"Shut up. I'm malnourished, and our saliva has healing properties," he grumbled. "It's either we deal with this and we both live, or we're self-conscious idiots and we both die. Go figure."

"You're malnourished?" she eyed his figure, something that Totsuki's strongest knights could only dream of achieving.

"Doesn't look like it, but I am." He straightened up and bandaged the wound on Alice's arm.

"How does it taste?"

"What?"

"My blood."

"Bitter, but sweet. Not too bad. As would be expected of a pampered, spoilt princess," Kurokiba responded expressionlessly. He stood up. "Now sit up."

She did as she was told.

"Now that you're all fixed up, you can leave now. And don't come back."

Alice winced a little as she stood up, regaining her balance.

"But first…why did you come into this forest?" He glanced up at her, and she immediately felt incriminated underneath his heavy stare.

She shrugged nonchalantly, eyes darting around. She spotted her sword, bow and arrows stacked neatly on a shelf. "I just thought…if I wandered in, the kingdom wouldn't be so burdened anymore." This was partly the truth.

Kurokiba rolled his eyes. "Ha. We don't want Totsuki's measly leftovers." He paused. "That's the only reason?"

"Of course."

He shifted with a single movement, so fast that Alice couldn't register what was happening until he had pinned her against the wall, one of her dangerously sharp hunting arrows poised at her neck. "Because someone hoping to die at the hands of us would bring hunting weapons into the forest. Right." His voice was thick with sarcasm and menace.

_"Us?" What does he mean?_

Alice panicked and attempted to move, but she was weak compared to him. She abruptly moved her head. Her neck made contact with the point of the arrow, a movement so sudden and quick that it was almost painless. A trickle of blood made its way down her collarbone. He moved in to lick it.

"Hey, gotta question. What are you?" she asked, slightly strained.

"So you're a moron as well as a terrible liar." He have an eloganted sigh as he lifted his head up. "I'm a wolf, you idiot."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**After much thought, I have decided to make this a multi-chaptered story as opposed to an elongated oneshot.**

**I apologise for making some characters OOC. I also apologise if I depicted them in a particularly biased manner. This is my first fanfiction, and I'm not a terribly eloquent writer.**

**If you would like to see more, please leave a review. Comments are more than welcome.**

**Thank you for reading.**

**\- undulating echo**


	2. Duo

**Thank you to everyone who favourited, followed, and reviewed - it makes me happy to write.**

**For all who have taken interest in this story, I hope you're happy with this chapter. :)**

…

**RESPONSE TO REVIEWS**

**IceColdSea: I do like writing AUs more than I like writing stories set in the canon universe, so expect lots of those! Thank you for your honest and kind comments. As for the honorifics - I probably have an elaborate explanation stored somewhere in the brain, but as of now, I'd like to apologise. I'm not terribly good at remembering honorifics (or anything really). I'll keep it in mind next time, thanks for letting me know. :)**

**Divenire (Guest): I agree - in actual fact, I thought about writing this when I was searching for Shokugeki no Soma fanfiction and was hit by a wave of Sorina/SoEri. Your words really made my day. Thanks for your support!**

**Kaehari: Thank you for taking time to review. Hope you're happy with this next instalment.**

**sanhuan: Thank you! Hope this chapter does not disappoint. :)**

* * *

**2**

**…**

Surprisingly, processing Kurokiba's declaration of being a wolf was quite easy. He had seemed to radiate a predatory aura. Besides, the blood-drinking quirk seemed to make sense now.

"So, are you going to kill me?" she asked innocently.

He rolled his eyes again, as if she was one of the stupidest creatures he'd known. "Of course not. I'm going to send you back to the kingdom, the place where you ran from, so you can continue being a burden to Little Miss Erina, who probably wants you dead. She'll be disappointed to see that you're alive."

"Hey - how did you know about Erina?" Alice asked, narrowing her eyes.

"You did a lot of sleep-talking. And sleep-crying. And sleep-screaming."

Alice gave an embarrassed huff. She had hoped to keep a cool, calm composture in front of Kurokiba. Knowing her weaknesses only seemed to make him even more powerful.

He leaned closer and started speaking lowly, straight into her ear. "You're a burden, aren't you? Didn't you find it strange that no knights were sent after you when you came into the forest? Didn't you find it strange that Erina didn't do anything? Maybe she wanted you to die. Her life is probably so much easier without you. Wouldn't you agree?"

Alice flinched. She hated that he was right. "Shut up! That's not true!"

"You're in denial. How cute," he responded sarcastically.

"Erina cares about me. She does," Alice rambled, in a desperate attempt to convince both Kurokiba and herself. "We…we were close, the two of us."

"You said "were". Not "we _are_ close". As you can see, you're well aware of it. Erina probably doesn't want anything to do with you. Precisely why I'm sending you back. So you can continue being a pain in the ass."

Gawd, he was an asshole.

To Alice's annoyance, a tiny part of her brain was telling her that Kurokiba had, in one way or another, saved her from death. He had first commanded the wolves to leave, and then bandaged her wounds. So as much as he was drilling Alice's uselessness into her brain, he still seemed to have some kind of moral compass, no matter how small it seemed to be.

"Thanks," she muttered, against her better judgement.

He glanced at her, surprised. (Finally, she had elicited some kind of reaction from his otherwise deadpan expression.) "Now, if you want to leave this place alive, we should probably go now. The other wolves will be asleep."

"The other wolves don't want me to live?"

"No - they probably want you to die so they can get nourishment from your blood."

Alice tilted her head. "Then what about you? Don't you need my blood as well?"

Kurokiba stepped back, releasing her from the wall. "I…don't hate humans as much as the others. So, nah." He rubbed the back of his neck and reached for a fur coat behind him, handing it to her. "Take this. You're going to catch a cold. It also helps you stay low. Now come on." He opened the door.

Alice obediently secured it around her neck. It was the warmest, softest thing she'd ever touched. She stepped outside - her boots sunk into the deep snow. It was nighttime, making the forest appear even darker than before.

Something nudged her on the shoulder. She glanced over to see what was Kurokiba in his wolf form - the same red eyes. He was roughly the size of the Yoshino's horses. The wolf beckoned her with his head, and Alice followed him as he weaved between thickets of trees and bushes. It reminded her of the time when she and Erina were racing through the cottages to visit Rindou. Except whilst Erina sometimes accidentally left her cousin behind, Kurokiba always looked back to check that Alice wasn't getting lost.

They reached the familiar barrage of signs. The wolf spun around twice, and in a sudden flash of smoke, Kurokiba stood there in his human form, the same expressionless face. He crawled out from the tiny space between two signposts. Alice followed, brushing the snow from her dress as she straightened up.

"Hey—" she glanced over at him, but stopped short. He was gazing at the stars, millions of pinpricks of light and smudges of galaxy, like the artwork of an ethereal painter.

"Heh. I never tired of looking at 'em," he said.

Alice was suddenly hit with a flurry of emotion - she wanted to stay with him. She wanted to stay with this strange, beautiful, oddly hospitable man who'd shown her kindness that she hadn't been treated with for a long time.

* * *

But Alice's longing to stay with Kurokiba was forgotten the second Shiomi threw her tiny arms around her.

"My lady!" Jun wailed, sobbing hysterically. "I thought you were going to die! I was planning your funeral and everything!"

"Yeah, and she wouldn't stop crying while she was planning it," sighed Hayama from behind them.

Shiomi let go of Alice, stepped back, and slapped her in the face.

That, Alice was not expecting. For someone of such small stature, Shiomi had remarkable strength. Strength that Alice was now experiencing first-hand.

"Don't do that ever again, young lady," Shimo lectured. "Those wolves are dangerous! They've killed so many people! You could have been one of them!"

For whatever reason, Alice felt inclined to defend Kurokiba. "I made friends with one of them."

Hayama restrained Jun before she could slap Alice again. "You did?" he asked, intrigued.

A shadow passed over the princess's face before she waved it off. "Psych! Just kidding! Sorry!" Defending Kurokiba was stupid. Nobody would believe her. Besides, she wasn't going to see him ever again. He was just a stranger in passing - a kind one, but still a stranger. She didn't need to be involved with him again, ever.

* * *

Alice was cornered in the library by Soma and Hayama, both of who looked unexpectedly serious.

"Well, aren't I popular today?" she teased lightly. When neither replied, she settled with a more solemn manner of speaking. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

"We heard that you apparently made friends with one of the wolves," Soma began.

Alice waved her hand dismissively. "Geez, it was just a joke! Don't be so serious about it!" she laughed.

"Y'know…" Soma said. "We're similar enough that I can tell when you're actually lying and when you aren't. So I do believe that you made friends with a wolf."

Hayama shook his head. "I believe you too. But how, your highness? Those creatures are terrifying! They've slaughtered countless people. I'm impressed that you got out alive."

"It's a long story," Alice said finally. She felt uneasy. This didn't sit well with her usual carefree demeanour.

Soma leaned against a bookshelf, crossing his arms. "We were just thinking…do you still want to hunt wolves, Al?"

Did she? After she had met Kurokiba?

"Because…the queen Erina-sama is gravely ill."

Alice jumped. "Hisako! Where did you pop out from?"

Hisako ignored her question. "As you know, the DNA in Totsuki's wolves, such as their saliva, is known to have great healing properties. We are sure this can cure Erina-sama." She adjusted her monocle. "We were thinking that if you did know a wolf, you could get close enough it to kill it."

_Erina was ill. Gravely ill_. Hisako only used that term when it was serious.

"Of course, we really don't want to pressure you into doing this," Hisako continued. "This can be life-threatening for you."

"But it's also life-threatening for Erina, isn't it?" Alice said.

Silence.

"I can do it," Soma said, raising a hand. "I mean, Eri's my future wife. I'd love her enough to do it."

Even though Soma wasn't trying to take a jab at Alice, it felt like she was being reprimanded for not loving Erina enough.

"No. I'll do it." Alice gathered the books in her arms. "I'll prepare tonight and start tomorrow."

"Alice-sama—"

"Gawd, don't call me that. How stuffy!"

"Your highness," Hisako corrected. "I cannot thank you enough. Y-You've saved Erina-sama's life!" She was rapidly tearing up. "Is there anything we can help with? Armour, perhaps? Weapons? Food?"

Alice thought for a minute. "I need a knife I can strap to my thigh," she started. "And lots of raw meat."

The three eyed each other. "Raw meat?"

"The exceptionally bloody kind," Alice confirmed.

"Hey, Alice, what happened to that cape?" Soma asked suddenly. "Ya know, that red hood Erina gave you. You wore it around everywhere."

"That's true. You wear the one made out of fur a lot more these days."

"I lost the cape in the forest," Alice replied, truthfully. She suddenly felt greatly empty without the scarlet fabric draped across her shoulders. The very thing that she'd always felt had tethered her and Erina together. Erina, who was sick. Gravely ill, as Hisako would say. "I'm getting it back, though. I'll find it."

* * *

"I've never been out so far from the kingdom before," Hisako said quietly. The four of them - Soma, Hayama, Alice, Hisako - pulled their horses to a stop. The stallions' horseshoed hoofs stamped on the dewy ground. The brightness and safety of the kingdom lay far behind them. It was nightfall - stars had appeared across the sky like a glittering menagerie of haphazardly scattered diamonds.

Alice glanced over at Soma. Something about his expression struck her as odd. "Soma, you okay?" she asked, lowering her voice so Hayama and Hisako (who were discussing some plan or another) couldn't hear.

"Huh?" He looked over at her and grinned, although he seemed to be shaking. "Yeah, no sweat. It's just cold, that's all."

Alice huffed. "Y'know, I may seem like a block of wood, but we're similar enough that I can tell when you're actually lying and when you aren't." His own words, repeated. "So what's wrong?"

Soma stared at the forest, rendered silent. For a second, Alice thought he had chosen to ignore her question. "My mum…was killed in that forest. By wolves." He swallowed.

Alice dropped her usual smile. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"Nah, it's fine. I mean, there's nothing you can do about it, right?" Soma replied, voice oddly light. He waved a hand, as if trying to clear the air from its tense atmosphere.

Before Alice could ask any more questions, Hisako tapped her on the shoulder. "Alice-sama…ah, I meant—"

"Alice is fine, ya know!"

"…Alice…um…so the plan is that we wait out here?"

"He said something about stargazing…I just thought he might, ya know, come out here or something," Alice answered casually, although her heart was hammering. They had chosen a spot situated close enough to see if anyone emerged from the forest; however, the four of them would be obscured by shrubbery, so hopefully nobody would be able to see them.

She paused. "Hey, just asking, how comfortable are you guys with, like, beating me up?"

Cue the awkward silence.

"Apologies, could you repeat yourself?"

"Beating me up. Like, I dunno, smacking me with a stick or something. But in a non-kinky fashion."

Hayama and Soma almost fell off their horses. "What? Why?" they asked simultaneously.

"I mean…the reason why Kuroki—the wolf helped me was because I was injured. Besides, I think he…has some sort of history with being, like, outcasted or something. I don't know."

As Soma began to say something, Hisako slapped her hand over his mouth and raised a finger to her lips. The horses lay low, their riders following suit. Through the gaps in between the trees, they saw a black-haired man stepping out of the forest and tilting his head to gaze at the stars.

"Is that…?"

"One of the wolves," Alice confirmed in a whisper.

"What?" they answered incredulously.

"You heard me. That's him."

Hisako, who was the first to break of her shocked stupor, was hurriedly flipping through her books. "I didn't realise it was a werewolf. I'd assumed it was just a wolf. Your highness, why didn't you tell me?"

The other three had their eyes fixed at the unmoving man, head still tilted and staring at the cosmos. He seemed so serene, so harmless, that it hard to imagine that he could possibly bear the likeness of a ferocious creature. Time passed - nobody noted how long. Kurokiba stood completely still for a while longer, before disappearing back into the forest. Soma and Hayama, who seemed to have been holding their breaths, exhaled with relief.

"Are all of them werewolves? Or just the alpha?" Hayama asked. "Assuming he is the alpha, of course."

"B-B-But…they aren't supposed to be werewolves. They're just supposed to be wolves. Monstrous ones, but wolves nonetheless. They shouldn't be able to comprehend human speech or anything like that! There's been no records of any sign of human nature within Totsuki's wolves," Hisako stammered, eyes wide.

Soma was staring at the ground, hands gripping the reins. His knuckles were white.

"Werewolves are humans who turn into wolves when there's a full moon, correct?" Hayama said.

Hisako nodded. "In our country, most definitely."

"But he could turn into a wolf whenever he wanted to," Alice said, pointing a forefinger in the air. "It wasn't just a matter of the phases of the moon, ya know! So is he a different kind of werewolf?"

"No…there's only one kind of werewolf in Totsuki. Perhaps it isn't a wolf, a human, or a werewolf, but a seperate species. An exception. There's been records of those, although they're so uncommon that people have believed them to be extinct." Hisako opened another book. "Here. We have reports of creatures not exactly human, but not exactly a creature of fantasy either. A human born with fairy wings. A girl born with gills instead of lungs, but still had a pair of human legs. This has all been recorded in my great-great-great-great-great grandfather's journal."

"So that would be hundreds of years ago," Hayama said.

"Correct." Hisako frowned as she flipped through the pages. She pressed her finger down on a line of scrawling handwriting. "Here. These kinds of creatures are called Dimidiums. Since so little of them exist, their traits and personalities are all unpredictable. They tread on the fine line between human and fantasy creatures."

The four of them processed this information in silence.

Hayama leaned over and scanned the written information. "Is this going to affect our mission in any way?"

"Dimidiums do have thought processes akin to human's, so empathising with them is an excellent way to get close enough to kill one," Hisako explained. "However, they may be much smarter, so your tactics must be planned well."

"Hey…" Soma spoke up. He almost hadn't spoken for the entire trip. "But if Dimidiums are basically humans…killing them is murder…isn't it?"

Hisako averted her eyes back to the book.

"That's true, but remember that this wolf Dimidium thinks like us, yet still decides to kill humans. That's murder too. And it's not moral, nor is it justified," Hayama pointed out. A hint of uneasiness was laced in his words.

Hisako nodded. "Yes - Dimidiums are still creatures. Animals, even. And remember, everone, this is for Erina-sama."

"A life for another life? That doesn't sound fair," Soma protested.

Hisako and Hayama exchanged a troubled look. "Perhaps her highness should decide," Hisako suggested.

Alice felt the expectant stares of three conflicted pairs of eyes. So this was what it felt like to make a decision that would affect almost everything. She closed her eyes for a minute, exhaled deeply, and thought. Kurokiba had been kind to her - so exceptionally kind. But he was a wolf. His pack ripped people apart; attacked King Eishi and Queen Rindou; and had killed Soma's mother.

_A life for another life._

"No."

"No?" Hisako repeated. "Very well. I will study different medicinal—"

"You misundertood me." Alice opened her eyes. "I meant, what Soma said wasn't really right. Erina's wellbeing isn't just endangering her life; it endangers the lives of hundreds of people in the kingdom. Thousands, maybe. It affects us, too. So it's not really a life for a life, ya know? It's more like a thousand lives for a life." Alice felt selfish. Hostile and cruel. But she remembered Erina. And she remembered Kurokiba's voice in her ear, telling her she wasn't enough. She had hated that.

"Wisely said," Hayama commented, raising an eyebrow. "So it's decided."

He looked back at Soma, who nodded. "Alice is right. That makes sense."

Hisako opened her satchel and took out a new leather notebook, flipping it to an empty page. She gazed expectantly at Alice, feather poised above the paper. "So, your highness, what is the plan of attack?"

* * *

"I'm not sure that I'm very comfortable with this," Hisako said firmly. Her voice quivered.

"Don't stress so much, secretary girl!" Alice teased, laughing.

Hisako remained indignant. "This…doesn't feel moral. I'm beating you with a whip, your highness. This is abuse!"

"This is for your darling Erina-sama, remember?" Soma said from behind them. "Besides, Alice's back is numb from that strong anaesthetic tea she drank before. She won't feel a thing."

The sharp crack of the whip echoed through the air. Alice didn't feel any pain or impact. The anaesthetic medicine was ridiculously good at its job.

The same sound, again. And again. And again. She was sure her dress was getting ripped to shreds. Soma and Hayama averted their eyes politely.

Hisako promptly dropped the whip and fell on her hands and knees. "Your highness, forgive me! I shouldn't have done that! I'm terribly sorry! What will Erina-sama think of me?"

"Chill! I was the one who asked you to do it. No biggie," Alice answered casually. She stood up. "How much longer until he comes out of his lil hidey hole?" she asked.

After observing Kurokiba for long enough, the four had discovered a pattern in his routine of emerging from the forest. "Five minutes," Hayama said, checking his pocket watch. "Have you got what you need?"

Alice felt the bump of the knife on her thigh. Kurokiba would most likely confiscate weapons she had on hand - hence, this was the best hiding spot she could think of, as of now. "Yep. This is for Erina, remember!"

Hisako draped a silken shawl over Alice's shoulders, and fastened the fur cape over it. "I can't thank you enough. You're so brave." Her eyes lit up with admiration. She bowed. "Best of luck, your highness. If anything goes wrong, we will all be out here waiting for you." Hayama and Soma offered Alice reassuring smiles.

Alice felt warm as she smiled back.

* * *

"Kurokiba!" Alice called, running towards him. He glanced up at her, obviously surprised.

Suddenly, a jolt of pain rippled through her body. Alice landed near his feet, body thumping against the hard ground. The anaesthesia was wearing off. Courses of agony ripped through her spine, like someone was cutting her body open. She didn't even need to pretend - the pain was real, and it was eating her alive.

"What the hell—" he leaned down and stopped short. "Your back."

"I sure am."

"No, I said, your back. It's…it's been whipped."

"Heh. What about it?" she winced and let out a short yelp, cursing.

He leaned down and grabbed her hand, something she wasn't expecting. "Did they…do this? The people in your kingdom?"

Alice hated having to lie about her friends, but she managed a nod. "Told you nobody wanted me alive." Another ripple of pain. She released a scream. "Oh god."

"Why are you here?"

"Because…you're the only person who helped me as I was." She gritted her teeth - she was almost twitching. It felt like being electrocuted with wires. Every nerve in her body was screaming. Every thump of her heart caused her to shake. "And besides…now you have blood to drink from me. You won't be malnourished anymore. Right?"

She glanced upwards at his eyes. Piercing red orbs that seemed to see straight into her soul. As much as she shouldn't be thinking about how hot they were - damn, they were attractive.

"Can you stand?" he asked.

Alice attempted. She fell straight back down. "I'm sorry. I'm pathetic."

Suddenly, in an movement so swift that it took her some time to register what had happened, Alice was now sitting on the back of a horse-sized wolf.

Once again, Kurokiba was warm. So comfortingly warm.

She might as well enjoy the warmth while she had it - while blood was still coursing through his veins. She burrowed into the soft fur, internally apologising to this stranger who had helped her so much. The wolf pawed the ground a couple of times, sniffed the air, and began to move.


	3. Tribus

**RESPONSE TO REVIEWS**

**Kaehari: Thank you for taking your time to read and review. I'm glad you're finding this interesting.**

**IceColdSea: I was unsure about adding Hisako, Soma and Hayama, to be honest, since I'm not a terribly eloquent writer. I'm happy that their scenes were appreciated. Once again, thank you!**

* * *

**3**

**…**

"I'm sorry."

Kurokiba looked up from licking the remains of her blood from his hands. "Why?"

_Because I'm sacrificing you for my cousin. Because I'm tricking you into thinking I'm friends with you. Because you don't deserve this. Because you're human, too, in a way._

"Coz I'm a huge pain in the ass," she answered finally, sitting up from the bed. The wounds on her back had been bandaged. Only a small lingering ache remained from the whip lashes.

"Yeah, can't deny that," he grumbled. He stood up from the stool he was sitting on and stretched, giving Alice a good view of his muscles. She shamelessly ogled. "So you're taking the bed, and I'll take the floor. Nighty-night," he droned monotonously. He threw a couple of spare pillows and blankets from the shelves onto the floor and flopped down.

"Hey, hey, hold up." Alice stood up, wobbling a bit. "Like hell you're taking the floor! Sleep on the bed!"

"Ryou Kurokiba is currently asleep. Do not disturb," he answered, eyes closed.

_Ryou. His first name is Ryou._

_Focus! That's not important!_

"Yo, yo! Get up and get your butt on the bed!" she nudged him with her foot. "I'm taking the floor, okay?"

He cracked open an eye. "What, do you have some obsession with sleeping on the floor?"

Alice huffed, puffing out her cheeks. "Well, you own this place, so you sleep on the bed. Anyway, you've already done enough for me! I can't accept any more nice things!"

When he didn't reply, she resorted to lightly smacking him repeatedly on the shoulder. "Get up! Your princess commands you!"

Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and stared at her, straight into her eyes. "Fine, _milady_," he answered dryly. Neither of them moved for a while. Alice found herself lost in those piercing red orbs. Again.

He moved first, tugging her down onto the pile of cushions and blankets he had constructed. "Have fun." He stood up and lay down on the bed. "Happy now, milady?" Again with the '_milady_' shtick. He was making fun of her princessy authority, she was sure. "Nighty night. Don't let the venomous snakes and spiders bite."

"Wait, there are—"

"I'm kidding, idiot."

He blew out the candle, and the room was swallowed by darkness. Alice blinked a couple of times so her eyes could adjust to the sudden change in lighting. She had to keep awake so she could stab him, quickly and smoothly, in his sleep. He'd die while he was off to dreamland. A fairly good way to die, if you asked Alice.

She reached under her skirt and slowly, slowly unsheathed her dagger. The weight of the knife made her hand feel heavy. This was one of the most important things she would ever do in her life. She was one step away from saving Erina.

_One step away from committing a murder._

She batted the thought away from her head. No - this was the right thing to do.

She lay there for a while longer, listening to his steady breathing. It seemed to have a calming effect on her jumping nerves. Sucking in a breath, she stood up quietly and stepped over to the bed. The handle of her knife was solid and hard - this only reminded her how real this situation was.

To make sure he was deeply asleep, she tapped him a number of times. She clapped her hands together, but he didn't stir. After deciding he was well off to dreamtopia, she internally apologised again, took a last look at his face, and raised her dagger above him, ready to plunge it into his chest.

"Wait, stop," he mumbled.

Alice jumped and swiped her arm behind her back, hiding the knife. Kurokiba's eyes didn't open. He didn't move. He didn't appear to be awake. He was still in deep sleep.

"Stop. I didn't do anything wrong," he mumbled again. It took a second for Alice to realise he was sleep-talking. "Please don't hurt me. I'm a human, like you. I'm not a monster. Don't hurt me."

_Oh, god,_ Alice thought. _Even if he's sleep-talking, __it's like he's aiming it at me._

She raised the dagger again. Her heart was thumping so loudly that she was sure he could hear it. Her hand shook as she poised the blade again. This time, she wouldn't hesitate.

He turned onto his side. Alice stepped back. The risk was too high. She couldn't kill him tonight.

_Is that really the reason? Or am I stopping because of what he was saying in his sleep?_

She returned the knife to its sheath, taling a few deep breaths to calm herself down. As she moved to lie down again, he grabbed her arm. Her heart rate picked up again. Had he been awake this entire time? Had he noticed? Was he going to kill her now?

"Don't leave me alone, Mum. I'm sorry. I'll be better, I promise," he muttered. He was still in his sleep-talking state. She tried to wriggle out of his grip. "Please don't go. I'm sorry." His voice damn near broke her heart. Against her better judgement, she obliged, kneeling down beside his bed.

"I'm right here," she whispered, unsure if he could hear her. "It's alright. I'm not leaving you."

"Why do they want to hurt me? Is it because I'm not human?"

Alice said nothing. Her mind was spinning. She felt immensely curious. She was sure that Kurokiba wasn't just dreaming - it seemed more like he was reliving memories in his sleep.

"Who's hurting you?" she asked quietly.

To her surprise, he responded, although, evidently, he was still asleep. "Everyone. They say I'm the spawn of the devil because I'm half-wolf. They want to burn me at the stake. They're going to kill me."

Her chest ached with sympathy. "Why do you think I'm going to leave you?"

"You said you wanted to leave me in the forest so I could get eaten by the wolves," he said. "But I don't want to die. Please don't leave me. Please don't let them kill me. I don't want to die."

This half-asleep conversation was killing her. She chewed on her bottom lip. This was the man she had been planning to kill. Guilt flooded her chest, followed by sudden wave of fierce determination. "It's alright. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Ever." She was speaking the truth - she'd changed her mind. "Even if I die protecting you," she added. She reached forward and ran her fingers through his hair. It was soft and warm, like his fur when he was in wolf-mode.

His ragged breathing slowed. "Don't leave."

"Of course I won't." She grabbed a pillow and a blanket and set herself up so she was leaning against the side of his bed. "I'll be right here."

* * *

Alice was woken up by the rays of sunlight cutting through the damp morning air. One beam hit her face and she opened her eyes, yawning. She was still holding his hand from yesterday. She gently let go and stood up. She'd slept rather peacefully. And she had inevitably decided - Kurokiba was not going to be killed.

She sat up and wondered if she should fold up the blankets, before she realised that she didn't know how. She had no idea how to maintain houses. There was only one thing she could do, and that was cook.

In the pockets and hidden folds of her dress, she'd stored vials of warm animal blood - cow, lamb, chicken, pig, fish, and, from Hisako, turtle blood - which she'd said harboured healing powers. Alice looked around the cottage. It was a one-room house with a bed, a fireplace, a small makeshift water faucet of sorts, and a line of shelves and cupboards. She found one holding cooking utensils, herbs, spices, and preserved meats and vegetables. All of them seemed untouched. She wondered if Kurokiba cooked.

In the next ten or so minutes, she whipped up a blood stew with the minimal ingredients she had on hand. The strong, savoury frangrance filled the small house as she ladled some stew into the bowl.

"Morning," she greeted as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"I had a dream. About my childhood," he muttered, blinking away the remains of sleep.

Alice paused. "Did it have a happy ending?" she asked hopefully, masking her tone with innocence.

"Hmm. Yeah," he answered. He smiled for a second before dropping it and returning to his bored expression.

Alice had never seen him smile (or exhibit any kind of happiness) before. She was slightly taken aback and stood silent for a moment before he spoke up again. "What's that?"

"Food. I think you said that blood was, like, good for your malnourishment or whatever." She handed the bowl and spoon over. "Here. I didn't want to be a pain in the ass."

"Nah, you're still a pain in the ass." He swallowed a mouthful of stew. "Six different types of blood? Aren't you advanced, milady."

"You can taste each seperate kind of blood?"

"Mmm. Yeah. Cow, pig, chicken, fish, lamb…and…what is that, lizard?"

"Turtle, but close enough." She sat down on the ledge of a lower shelf. "Well, is it good?"

He shrugged, polishing off the last of the food. "It's mediocre."

"My, my. You ate every last drop of my mediocre stew," she teased. "Want seconds?"

He looked annoyed at his own answer. "Yep."

"Of my very commonplace, humble, mediocre stew?" she prodded, grinning.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. It's good. Really good. Happy, _milady_?"

She smiled as she refilled his bowl. "How long are you going to keep calling me that?"

"Dunno. It just fits."

They sat in silence as he ate his second bowl. The cogs in Alice's mind were turning. If she didn't want to kill Kurokiba, they would have to find another way to save Erina. But what would Alice's excuse be? That it was too hard? That she didn't have the chance to kill him? If she kept up the facade that he was a heartless, powerful creature she wasn't able to kill, she probably wouldn't be able to visit him again. That thought seemed to fill her with a great sadness.

"Hey, Kurokiba?" she said suddenly. He looked up. "The animal blood gave you a lot of nutrition, right? So, like, can you bring it to the wolves so they don't need to kill humans anymore? I can supply your pack with as much as you need."

"No. The others are different." He set down his spoon. "They can only have human blood, and human blood alone. The blood of other animals won't do anything. I'm the only one that normal animal blood can give nutrition to."

"Hmm. Right." So Plan A was out of the window. "Also, why did you save me the first time? If I died, the entire pack could have had their food."

"Don't feel too much like some special snowflake. It's not just you. It's every human that I can save. Not that I've been able to save all of them."

"And the other wolves are okay with it?"

He looked away. "They still get their share of human blood in the end, so, yeah. Whatever."

His sentence didn't sit right with Alice. After all, hadn't he said - on the first day they'd met - that the wolves wanted her to die? That they wanted her blood? They had snuck out stealthily, as to make sure no wolves saw her - so the wolves _did_ want her dead. Then what was Kurokiba saying? Despite her confusion, she decided not to ask anything more. He looked uncomfortable.

"So I guess I'm going back to Totsuki today, huh?" Alice started up.

He stared at her like she was deranged. "Obviously not. Didn't you say they were going to kill you? The people in your kingdom."

Alice's stomach dropped. She remembered Kurokiba's frantic, grief-filled sleep-talking last night. How he had told her that everyone wanted him dead. Her fake situation had ended up empathising with him. "I-I did."

"So, isn't it safer for you to stay here?"

It made sense - from an outsider's point of view. The original plan was to return to Totsuki immediately after Kurokiba had been killed. But considering she was no longer going to kill him, how would she go back now?

The bigger question: did she even want to go back?

A loud crash broke Alice out of her dazed thinking. Kurokiba had collapsed on the floor next to the bed, the bowl shattered to pieces.

Panicking, Alice knelt down beside him. "Kurokiba! Are you alright?"

He groaned. "Yeah. This…this happens sometimes." He was clutching his sides like they were hurting him. He winced and gave a pained grunt. "Goddammit. I'm fine."

"Is it internal or external?" she asked.

"Both. Can you get the packet of herbs from the top shelf?" His voice was reduced to a whisper. "Now drench it in boiling water."

Alice obeyed, dipping the cloth bag into the pot of hot water she'd used to make her stew. An elegant, refined aroma wafted from the herbs.

"Hold on to that for a second." He gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing, and took off his tank top. He held out his hand. "Herbs."

She handed it to him. He rested the dripping cloth bag on the bandages covering his lower abdomen. "Fuck. Sorry you had to see that." He leaned his head on the mattress.

Alice's eyes wandered over his shirtless torso before squatting down beside him. "Does that happen often?"

"Yeah. Only once a week, though. It isn't too bad."

"You looked like you were dying." Intinctively, she reached out to touch his hair. When he didn't bat her away or glare at her, she ran her fingers through his hair, like she had done last night. Neither one of them talked.

He stared at the ceiling. "Why do the people in Totsuki hate you?"

She froze. She panicked and quickly thought up several elaborate lies.

"Because even if you're a pain in the ass, you're a pretty good person."

To Alice's own surprise, she reddened. Alice Nakiri was never flustered. She never blushed. So why? How did this random man make her feel like a grade-schooler? Especially with such a normal compliment?

"S-Same goes for you," she mumbled.

He glanced over at her and smirked. "You're blushing." This only seemed to make her face hotter.

"Sh-shut up! Am not!" She stood up and huffed. "It's just really hot in here, that's all."

He laughed. Warmth bubbled up in the pit of Alice's stomach. "Hey, Alice." This was the first time he'd called by name instead of '_milady_' or '_idiot_'. "The reason my dream ended well last night…was because of you, wasn't it?"

She waved it off. "What?" she answered indignantly. "I had nothing gotta do with that dream about your mother."

Immediately, she realised her idiotic mistake.

"Oh, but I didn't tell you it was about my mother. However could you have known?" he said sarcastically. He sighed. "But seriously, thanks. I've been having nightmares for…a while, now. That was the first time I slept peacefully."

"Oh. Uh, not an issue. I can do the same every night, if you want."

_Stupid, stupid! Gawd, Alice! You're supposed to be smooth! Smooth! Hell, you're supposed to be the wittiest person in the kingdom! You sound so demented and desperate!_

"You mean you would stay here?" he asked.

The longer Alice stayed without notifying Hisako that their mission was futile, the longer Erina was suffering and pining away.

"Well…I don't know. I probably have to go back."

"I thought you said your kingdom hated you."

Alice pulled out Lie Number 1. "It's actually just a misunderstanding. They think I committed a crime. But Erina's clearing it up. So it should be fine."

"Oh. Alright." He gazed her. For the third, maybe fourth time, Alice found herself absorbed in his crimson eyes. The first thing it reminded her of was the cloak Erina had given her. "Why did you come to me? When you were hurt?"

Damn. She hadn't figured something out for this one. "Because you're nice to me," she said finally. "Anyway! I should probably be going now. Thanks for letting me stay with you again. I'll probably come back every now and then to drop off more blood."

Kurokiba jumped up and grabbed her wrist. "No, don't do it now. The wolves are out there. I can hear them."

Alice could hear some distant howling, but it was extremely faint.

His eyes widened. "They've cornered a human. Fuck." He raced to the door. "Stay right where you are. Don't move, got it? And keep quiet. The wolves can probably hear you from there."

She could only muster a nod as he stepped outside, transformed back into a wolf, and started running.

For the first couple of seconds, she stood there in the silence of the cottage, before deciding she should probably make herself useful before he came back. She picked up the remains of the ceramic bowl and rather successfully folded up the blankets (it was a lot easier than she'd thought) before placing them back in their spot.

Now, what was she to do? After a moment of thinking, she decided to cook up every single dish she could think of that utilised the flavour of animal blood. She might not see him ever again, and she wanted to leave on a happy note.

She had no idea how long she waited until Kurokiba stumbled in, carrying a small body in his arms, which he deposited on the bed. "Here. Some kid. Looks around twelve. Had to fight for her, though. She got a concussion and not much else. I don't need to treat her or anything - she'll wake up soon enough."

Alice dropped what she was doing. Kurokiba had multiple claw marks on his face, most of them deep. Blood oozed from his wounds. She lifted the hem of her shawl to wipe it, before stopping herself. She was getting way too intimate with him, way too quickly.

He took a large clay bowl from the shelf. It was covered in what looked like old bloodstains. He took a thin piece of fabric, dabbed at the bloodied wounds on his face, and wrung out the blood into the bowl. He repeated this a number of times, squeezing out every last drop of the red liquid.

"Uh, what are you doing?" she asked.

"I have human blood, you know," he said.

Alice furrowed her eyebrows. Her mind was starting to piece bits of the puzzle together. Every clue he'd subconsciously offered.

_"…Every human that I can save."_

_"The wolves still get their share of human blood at the end. So, yeah, whatever."_

_"I don't hate humans as much as the others…"_

_"I have human blood, you know."_

Suddenly, it hit her like a brick.

"Kurokiba…do you give your blood to the wolves? Instead of, like, my blood, or the other people's blood? Because you have human blood as well?" she asked, treading carefully.

He didn't reply at first. Instead, he took off his top and stripped away the bandages, She stared at what was underneath - dozens and dozens of cuts. Some fresh, some faded. Some deep, some shallow. They completely covered his lower torso.

He took out a sharp knife from the cupboard, held the bowl, and poised the blade at his waist.

"No! Stop!" she suddenly yelled conscientiously, grabbing his hand. "Stop. You can't keep hurting yourself."

"I have to. It's for the other wolves. They can't live without human blood for long."

"You'd…rather hurt yourself than another human?" she asked softly.

He looked away. "Well, yeah. I'm a monster, after all. And nobody would care if I got hurt. These other people…have their family. Friends. But it's just me."

Alice was stunned into silence, before puffing her cheeks out. "Geez! You really are silly!" She yanked the knife out of his hand. "_I_ care about you! I'm your _friend_! If you were hurt, or if you died, _I'd_ be super sad!"

She sliced a thin line on her wrist, to his surprise, and held the dripping cut over the bowl. "They can have my blood for the timebeing. But don't you dare hurt yourself any more. You hear me?" He slowly put his tank top back on, as if agreeing with her suggestion. She gently squeezed her forearm to coax more of the precious blood out. "Do you want me to fill this bowl, or…"

Without warning, he was hugging her. Alice stood completely still. Her entire face felt hot. She batted all of her uncouth thoughts out of her head as he squeezed her. He was warm. Tantalisingly warm.

"Fuck. Sorry." He immediately stepped back. Cold air seeped back in the places that had felt warm from his body heat. Alice still didn't move. "Sorry. No idea why I did that."

She cut through the silence by suddenly giving a laugh. "You're allowed to hug people, silly!" As if proving her point, she threw her arms around him and hugged. She herself had not been hugged since she was a tiny girl. It felt so comforting, so ridiculously loving and soothing. She felt wet droplets on her head and looked up. He was crying. Well at least, there were tears. Not much about his expression changed, though.

"It's been forever…since someone considered me an equal."

Something about his tone saddened Alice greatly. She reluctantly let go and shook her forearm dry, watching the last droplets of blood plop into the bowl. "Now, how about that little girl? Should I take her back?"

They edged near the bed. "She hit her head pretty hard. Not sure if she can remember anything." Kurokiba rolled the girl onto her back.

Alice's blood ran cold.

It wasn't a little girl, although she couldn't blame him for thinking so.

He seemed to notice her expression. "Do you know her?"

Alice stared. "Yes…I occasionally work with her."

What had Jun Shiomi been doing in the forest?


	4. Quattuor

**After some consideration (and an extremely long break), I have decided to return to this story.**

**I am no longer as invested in the fandom as I used to be, and since this story is going to take a dark turn, many characters and events, _especially Alice_, will be OOC. For that I apologise and I understand if it bothers you.**

**...**

**RESPONSE TO REVIEWS:**

**Kaehari: Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it. :)**

**Frostfur12345: Thank you for taking time to review! Hope you are happy with this chapter.**

**Guest: I hope I will too.**

* * *

**4**

**...**

"It's safe for you to go now." He exited the little cottage, a still blacked-out Shiomi on his back, and Alice followed suit. The forest had once again fallen into silence. It was hard to believe that nightmarish creatures roamed this tranquil landscape. Kurokiba's bushy black tail swished back and forth as their feet sunk into the snow. The hushed atmosphere of night fell upon them like a fog. Once again, they were weaving through shrubs and trunks of looming trees, until they had reached the usual exit.

Alice walked as slowly as she could. Her feet felt heavy, like they had been weighed down with snow.

One of the warning signs had been hacked through with what seemed like some kind of axe. This human-sized space was much more comfortable to slip through than the tiny gap they'd crawled through previously.

"I'll take Shiomi from here," Alice announced, lifting up the theoretical chemist. She knew that Hisako, Soma and Hayama would be camping out there, watching for any movement in the forest. She didn't want them to see Kurokiba.

With a swish, he was back in his human form. "It's been a pleasure, milady."

She grinned, although it seemed like the wrong thing to do at that moment. "Yep! Y'know, I might come back and pay you a visit. Just to be nice." Her eyes lit up. "Hey, can I call you Ryou-kun?"

He shrugged. "Do whatever you want."

She pointed a finger at him. "And don't go on hurting yourself anymore, 'kay? Or else I'm gonna get really mad!"

He looked as if he didn't consider it much of a threat. "Yes, milady." He shifted around in his fur cape and handed a bundle folded-up red fabric to her. "This is your cloak…Little Red Riding Hood."

"You found it?" For a fleeting second, Alice wished she didn't have Shiomi in her arms so she could properly hug him. "Thanks, Ryou-kun!" She looked down at her preoccupied hands. "I can't really hold it, though."

He responded by unfolding it and reaching over her to fasten it over her shoulders. "Here's something else." He put a strange-looking item that looked like a short bamboo flute in her pocket. "If you need me, just blow."

Alice gazed at him again. Maybe for a bit too long.

"Goodbye, milady."

"Bye, Ryou-kun!"

With Ryou-kun behind her, now Erina and the kingdom was Alice's top priority.

She made a beeline for the enormous thicket of bushes that Hisako, Soma and Hayama had pitched their tents behind. They were camouflaged exceptionally well. Even the sharp-eyed Alice took some time to locate them.

She walked in on a scene of Hisako grinding up some indescribably bitter medicine with a mortar and pestle and borderline forcing it down the men's throats.

"Guys, I'm ba-ack!"

Three heads whipped towards her.

"You're alive!" Soma cried, taking the distraction as an opportunity to fling the medicine over his shoulder. "I felt so damn useless sitting here doing nothing, geez!"

"Do you have the wolf?" Hisako asked, standing up immediately. "Your life wasn't in danger, was it?"

Cue Alice's first tactic to avoid questioning: averting the topic. "I couldn't kill the wolf. He was much too powerful. Almost got killed a couple of times myself! I was scared for my life! I seriously couldn't do it," she fibbed, amping up the drama (she'd always been a sort of drama queen). "But that's not important right now. I found Lady Shiomi—"

"What?" Hayama yelled, leaping up with a panicked expression on his face. "What happened to Jun? Is she dead? Is she alright?"

The three of them crowded around Alice, staring at Shiomi's unconscious body. She looked oddly peaceful, as if she were simply asleep.

Soma settled into his standard thinking pose. "What was she doing in the forest?" he muttered, ignoring Hayama's badly-concealed panic next to him.

Hisako, who exhibited the calmness and sensibility of a saint, placed a hand on Shiomi's forehead, then knelt down and patted a rug and pillow next to her. "Lie her down here. Does she have any wounds?"

"A concussion, but that's all." Alice gently set Shiomi down. "She's been unconscious for a pretty long time, but she's still breathing. The wolves were going to attack her."

Soma clenched his fists. "First my mother, and now Hayama's? Those creatures…"

Hayama didn't even try to protest on how Shiomi wasn't his mother (like he would have done under normal circumstances). The ever-so-cool-and-stoic Akira Hayama looked like he was going to cry. "Hisako, please be careful with her."

"Of course." Hisako placed a wet towel on Shiomi's head. "How did you find her, Alice? Did you save her?"

Alice hurriedly devised a lie. "N-No, actually, when I was leaving the forest, I found her lying there. Lots of pawprints in the snow around her, y'know? So I kinda assumed she'd been attacked by wolves. But they didn't touch her for some reason."

"Thank goodness she wasn't killed by the wolves," Hisako said, relieved.

_That's all thanks to Ryou-kun._

"So…you didn't kill the wolf in the end?" Soma asked, returning to the more important topic at hand.

Alice shook her head. "I couldn't. There wasn't a time where he wasn't watching me. It's like he predicted that I was going to, you know, stab him and all that."

Hisako patted her on the hand. "Thank you for trying. I can't believe we were foolish enough to let you go in alone," she lamented. "You were willing to risk your life for Erina-sama. We'll figure something else out. I'm sure we can do it."

Alice internally gave a sigh of relief. _So Ryou-kun will be safe._

Suddenly, Shiomi sat up like an arrow, wide-eyed, and bashed her head into Hisako's.

"Jun!" Hayama's face flooded with relief. Evidently he was holding himself back from hugging her.

Shiomi looked around and glared at the lot of them. For someone so cute-looking, it certainly was unnerving to see the amount of rage of her face. "You idiots!" she shouted. "Why do you always have to do dangerous things without alerting someone first?" She clenched her fists and held them up. Alice, Hayama and Soma (who had all fallen victim to Shiomi's mighty _Hit of Death_, as they liked to call it) immediately inched back.

Luckily, she lowered her fists onto her lap and gave an angered sigh, falling quiet. "Why did you leave Her Majesty?" she asked. "Do you know how much she's suffering right now?"

"We...we were trying to save her," Alice answered, trying to force her voice into her usually self-assured tone. It didn't work.

"You're killing her by abandoning her."

They all winced at the sharp words. Shiomi wasn't usually this serious. Guilt wriggled into Alice's chest.

"We're going back to the kingdom. All of you." Hisako, Soma, Hayama and Alice obediently started loading their supplies into the leather bags strapped on the saddles of their stallions.

Shiomi stood up, wobbling a bit, and ignored Hayama's proffered hand. She turned around and took a step forward, before pausing and sweatdropping. "I don't have a horse," she announced awkwardly.

Alice internally wondered how on earth Shiomi got here if she didn't have a horse, but didn't voice the question aloud.

"Hop on," she said finally, gesturing to the space behind her on the saddle.

Once everyone was on their horses, they set off.

For some reason, Alice found that the clopping of the horseshoes sounded oddly ominous.

* * *

It was daybreak when they reached the castle. The entire trip had been deathly silent. Soma's single attempt to start a cheerful conversation immediately dwindled after nobody else took part in it.

Alice noted that as they neared the gates, Soma's expression developed a hard, serious edge to it. Their horses were taken to the stables by Yoshino, and the five of them walked through the enormous double doors.

The first thing Alice noticed was that everything was deathly silent. It was almost as if the castle had been abandoned over the week. It was cold, even though fires had been lit - and there was no smell of freshly baked bread from the castle's bakery. No servant rushed out to greet them.

Hayama tried a smile, but it was uneasy. "Did...did something happen?"

Shiomi remained silent. "I think you should see the queen's room," she said finally.

Panic spiked in Alice's mind. Without a word, she took off sprinting to Erina's bedroom. Soma immediately followed suit. After running up several flights of stairs, they stopped in front of the velvet-carpeted hallway that housed a single room - Erina's.

What looked like the entirety of the castle staff were cramped into the usually spacious hallway, their backs up against the white marble pillars. Everyone was completely silent.

Without any other explanation, Soma started pushing his way into the crowd, not caring about who he elbowed along the way. Alice hurriedly followed suit, pushing people aside. Someone grabbed her wrist, but she quickly yanked it back and continued.

Soma shoved the bedroom door open and hurried in. Alice followed, shutting the doors behind her.

Immediately, she was encased in darkness. The bedroom was completely shrouded in shadow - and all of the gold ornaments and pure white furniture looked like it had been dulled from time. Dust was starting to collect on the objects.

Erina was lying on her enormous canopied swan-down bed in her purple nightgown. A single beam of light from a half-open curtain fell across her body, tracing around the alarmingly angular shapes of her collarbone. Her eyes looked like they were sunken in; she looked as if she hadn't slept in weeks. Even her golden hair, which usually swung around like an ethereal halo, seemed to have thinned and darkened. Bloodied towels lay in a pile on a table next to her. One hand was resting across her chest - the other hung limp at her side, loosely holding a feather quill. Piles of manuscripts were stacked up on her bedside table and spilled onto the ornate rug; hundreds more were scattered all over the quilt. It was evident that she had still tried to continue to do her queenly duties, even when half-dying and bedridden.

Seeing that Soma was completely frozen, Alice rushed up to Erina and carefully touched the queen's hand. It was frail and looked like it was going to be snapped in half if Alice pressed too hard.

"Ah—Alice." Her voice was barely a whisper. The corners of Erina's mouth lifted into a smile, even though it looked like it pained her.

Alice felt sick with regret. "Erina. What happened to you? I shouldn't have left you alone. I'm so sorry. I'm useless. How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Water? Are you in pain?"

Erina exhaled slowly and painfully. "No...you're not useless. I never meant that you were. I'm sorry. I was so tired and sick...I was awful."

She turned to Alice. "You're...you're wearing the cloak I gave you."

"I never took it off."

"I'm sorry. I...couldn't give you my time...so I had to compensate with cheap gifts. And now...I hardly have any time left."

"Don't say that!" Alice chastised, tone light, despite the heaviness in her chest. "We'll save you. I know we will. I'm Alice Nakiri - I can do anything."

Erina remained silent and stared at the paperwork covering her bed. "What will the kingdom do? I was trained to rule, not to abandon it."

Alice opened her mouth to talk, but shut it immediately afterwards. Soma stepped towards the bed, and Alice quickly stepped back into a corner, not wanting to interrupt their moment.

She watched as Erina lifted her hand to touch the side of Soma's face. Soma held her hand there, gazing at her but saying nothing.

_So this is what love is_, Alice realised suddenly.

"Can you...can you cook me that dish...one last time?" Erina asked weakly.

Soma looked like he was willing to cook her every dish in the world. "Which one?"

"The one that made me fall in love with you."

Soma closed his eyes and remained still. "Of course."

The entire exchange felt so intimate that Alice felt like she was intruding. She stepped back towards the door and opened it to leave - but her ears caught Erina's words.

"The doctor says...I have approximately two weeks...or so...left to live."

Alice closed the double doors behind her. The hallway was now empty - all the servants had apparently scattered.

She remembered the warmth of Erina's hugs and laughter when they were children - she remembered the pain on Erina's face when they had been separated by Azami.

She crouched down beside one of the enormous marble pillars and watched her tears fall onto the ground.

* * *

The next few days carried the same air of despondence and grief. Alice awoke each day with dread and fear churning in her heart. Hayama, Hisako and Jun camped in the royal library, conducting hours of research on a possible cure. Soma never left Erina's room.

The queen's council met together - without the queen herself - and started planning for a new monarch. A few thought that Soma should take to the throne - but most wanted Alice, who bore the Nakiri name, to ascend instead. No clear outcome was reached.

The entire kingdom was in mourning. Many still believed there was hope, but a great number started wearing black.

King Eishi and Queen Rindou visited any time they could to offer any assistance. Rindou, who became uncharacteristically serious, found the best doctors she could and brewed dozens of medicinal broths. King Eishi held meetings with the council on Erina's behalf.

Even though everything was moving along quite smoothly, each day felt as slow as molasses.

Alice headed downstairs to the library on the fourth day of losing sleep over Erina. She had been assigned to revisit her previous royal studies and had since organised sleepless nights of looking over old material and practising everything she could - it was decided that Alice was to take Erina's place as queen.

Shiomi had asked to have a makeshift meeting with Hisako, Alice, Hayama and Soma (who had been extremely reluctant to leave Erina's side). Alice entered the royal library - the haphazardly strewn furniture that had been comforting once now looked messy and disorganised and panicked - coincidentally how Alice felt.

The other three who had been called were circled around the mountain of silk cushions, books and manuscripts stacked up beside them. It was clear that none of them had slept.

Alice wordlessly nudged her way into the circle to see Shiomi sitting on a pile of cushions and staring on straight ahead, wide-eyed, before looking back at the four people who were crowded around her. Her next words shocked the rest of them and made Alice's heart rate increase.

"I know how to save the queen!"

As if they'd been struck, everyone immediately jolted.

Soma crouched down next to her. "How?" His voice had a sense of urgency.

Shiomi patted her hair down, fixed her glasses, and removed a small leather notebook from the pocket of her silver cloak. "I did some digging," she began. "Her Majesty's illness isn't a rare phenomenon. Every queen of Totsuki had this same life-threatening illness; however, there isn't a real pattern as to _when _the illness struck."

Hisako and Soma exchanged a look. "What do you mean?"

"Some queens caught the illness when they were very old - around eighty. Some caught it while middle-aged; some even caught it as children, or even as babies."

"So, there's a cure?" Soma pushed.

Shiomi nodded. "Yes. There has been a cure that has been passed down from medic to medic."

"Then how come I didn't receive it? My family has been involved in medicine for thousands of years!" Hisako interrupted.

"Because one of the ingredients was impossible to find, even after centuries," replied Shiomi. "So the cure was scrapped and put in the royal library, and people looked to magic or medicinal herbs instead. But none of the other options were nearly as effective and assuring as the original cure."

"What's the ingredient that was impossible to find?" Hayama asked, voicing aloud everyone's question.

Shiomi calmly picked up her notebook and flipped to a page with scrawling handwriting over it. "Oh, here it is. _H__eart of a Dimidium_."

Alice's blood ran cold. She froze.

_Ryou-kun is a Dimidium..._

She felt the gazes of Hisako, Hayama and Soma as they turned their heads towards her.

_...and all of them know that_.

"Dimidiums are half-human, half—"

"We know what they are," Hisako cut in politely. "And we know that there is a Dimidium alive, right now, in the forests." She turned to Alice and gave a proud smile that made Alice feel anything but happy. "And Alice-sama knows one."

Alice's brain went into overdrive. So this was what it truly meant to be a part of the royal family. Totsuki's blue-blooded leaders weren't just people who indulged in enormous wardrobes, grand outings and spectacularly luxurious balls - the royal family had a responsibility of enormous importance. They carried the entire kingdom on their shoulders, just like Erina had once said. They sacrificed love and happiness and health to keep the people happy.

She suddenly felt very small, thinking to how lonely Erina had been as a child when Azami had locked her up, and lonely she had been by carrying the entire kingdom by herself. And still, right now, Erina was probably lonely, lying in bed in an empty room and not knowing how many days exactly she had left.

"I already tried to kill him," Alice reasoned, trying to keep her voice steady. "But I couldn't."

Soma settled into his trademark thinking pose. "You couldn't do it because you're only one person. But what if a number of people tried together?"

The second Soma said this, Alice knew there was no going back.

"That's risky. We can't all go into the forest," Hayama interjected, shaking his head.

"No...I meant...what if we..." Soma raised a hand and made a sweeping motion. "...What if we lured him out to the kingdom?"

"How?" Hayama asked.

Alice sometimes forgot how dastardly smart Soma could be. "Okay, here's what I'm thinking," he began. "Firstly, and most importantly, we tell nobody of this mission. This will be just between us. The less who know, the more easy it'll be to carry out without the Dimidium knowing." Everyone nodded collectively. "Since Alice is to be crowned as queen soon, she needs a consort."

"Yes," Alice agreed uneasily, already knowing where this was going.

"If you take the Dimidium...guy...as your consort, we can kill him. Right in this palace. He'll feel welcomed - everyone will welcome him because they'll think you're actually going to marry him. We've got to make this believable. We'll hold all of the ceremonies and everything." Soma's eyes lit up. "We'll save Erina. I know we can."

"Listen Soma, I know I'm absolutely gorgeous, but there's no way he'll agree to be my consort!" Alice huffed, pushing down her feelings of dread.

There had to be another way to save Erina. Having to choose between her cousin and the person she loved—

Wait_. Loved?_

"Don't worry, you can do it. I know you can." Hisako joined in, nodding. "I believe in you."

"Please." Soma never begged anyone for anything - he always did things himself. "Please, Alice. I'm begging you. I can't let Erina die. I—"

"You love her," Alice finished. She smiled, even though she suddenly felt indescribably sad.

"The kingdom loves her," Hisako said. "And even if some don't - the kingdom _needs_ her."

Alice's hand slipped into her pocket, where Ryou had placed the tiny flute before they'd parted. _If you need me, just blow._

"Okay," she said finally. "I'll do it."


End file.
